Some names are hard to remember, even to pronounce. Try this one: Antonio Lefebvre d’Ovidio. And some numbers are easy to remember. Try this one: one billion Euro. Now we try to connect both. In 1994 Italian businessman (and formerly professor for maritime law) Antonio Lefevbre (we shorten it boldly) founded – together with other investors – a new cruise ship company based in Monaco. It was called Silversea. The idea was to deliver a luxury product in stark contrast to most ships of the cruise industry: not cheap, not big, a five star product for high demanding clients willing and able to spend good money. The first two ships were the Silver Cloud and the Silver Wind, both could carry just around 250 plus passengers and both would deliver to its guests a luxurious and totally different cruise experience.

25 years later in 2019 the son of the founder, Manfredi Lefebvre, sold the company for a mindblowing one billion Euro to the biggest cruise ship company in the world (by revenue, not by passengers), the Miami based Royal Caribbean Group. It was incredible good timing for the Lefebvres of course with the dark Covid times coming a year later. Royal Caribbean boldly moved forward like a steamer in a hell of a storm and invested in new Silversea ships.

The newest vessel of the ultraluxury brand is the Silver Ray. A very expensive vessel (600 million Euro) with the latest technology like lower emissions, garbage reduction and so on, and a phenomenal asymmetrical ship design. The Silver Ray has a lot to offer like 8 good restaurants, butler service also in the cheapest cabin class, caviar everyday if you wish, elevators with a seaview (wow!) and much more. Yet not everyone who liked the family run Silversea cruiseships is happy. The most obvious difference is the size of the ships. The Silver Cloud was built for a maximum of just 254  passengers, the Silver Ray and its sistership the Silver Nova carry 728. And maybe it is more American now and less European, less authentic maybe with an Indian chef running the Italian restaurant.

But don´t be mislead: the Silver Ray is a great ship and boasts a lot of good things like free excursions in every harbour or the “Sea and Land Experience” called SALT trying to give guest a chance to enjoy the flavour of the regions visited. The cabins measure 29 squaremeters in the lowest category (plus additional balcony) which is way more than nonluxury cruiseships offer. The butler service was extremely good, in general service was excellent. We missed coffee and tea facilities in the room, and I think 320 Dollars for two people in the French fine dining restaurant is a bit hefty. But all in all: a great ship.